By replacing high emission machines and utilities with low carbon technologies, we can originate and manage a variety of emission reduction projects. These can be concepts adapted from one project to the next such as fuel-efficient stoves, or new and original engineering such as the human-powered treadle pump. Read more about or partnership with the Ashden Awards for Sustainable Energy.
We are always working on the creation of new innovations, all with methodologies developed to industry standards. Our projects to date have included the following technologies:
Human energy
An often overlooked source of renewable energy is the human body itself. With some lateral thinking and some simple materials, energy solutions can often be found which replace fossil fuels with muscle-power. Every source of human energy will be different, and the number of applications is hugely varied.
Benefits
Replaces polluting diesel-powered pumps that farmers could barely afford to hire. - Enables 2 or 3 harvests a year, instead of 1.
- Prevents farmers having to leave their families to work in the city during 'off season'.
- Farmers' income dramatically increases, often between two and five-fold.
"Now I can irrigate whenever I like... Now I'm independent." Sumen. Read about more our treadle project in India promoting treadle pumps for irrigation, to replace diesel power.
Bio-energy
Bio-energy is energy from the sun that has been captured and stored by plants. When plants grow they photosynthesise - a process that absorbs carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere.
If the plant is burnt this energy is released as heat and light, and can even be converted into electricity. When this is done the carbon is released, but as long as another plant grows in its place there is no net increase of CO2 in the atmosphere. With crops such as wheat or rice this happens on an annual cycle.
Using bio-energy
Renewable bio-energy can be used to displace traditional fossil fuels such as coal, oil or liquid petroleum gas (LPG). Fossil fuels contribute to climate change because they take carbon out of the ground and release it into the atmosphere. Bio-energy, however, simply recycles CO2 that is already in the atmosphere
VIDEO: A Burning Concern, 2 mins
(Plays on Windows Media Player. More details)
 |
 |
|
Crop waste that is normally burnt... |
can be collected... |
 |
 |
|
and turned into biomass briquettes... |
to replace fossil fuels. |
Care must be taken however: If the biomass is not replaced (i.e. it is being cut down at a rate that is quicker than its ability to re-grow) then it is not renewable and is increasing the total CO2 in the atmosphere. This unsustainable biomass can be viewed as being similar to fossil fuel and it is the burning of this that many of our fuel-efficient stove projects help to reduce.
Types of bio-energy
- Solid biomass fuels tend to be from agricultural crop wastes or wood grown for that purpose. Many species, such as willow, re-grow when they are cut. The resulting biomass is burnt as pellets, briquettes or chips to provide heat or electricity.
- Wet biomass (such as dung) can be kept in a tank to produce methane that is burnt to provide heat for cooking or lighting.
- Liquid bio-fuels such as biodiesel are pressed from seeds such as oil seed rape, jatropha or palm oil and are used in combustion engines.
Benefits
- One of the most promising sources of renewable power.
- Available in many forms - can be grown almost anywhere.
- Provides local energy independence, when taken from sustainably-managed sources.
- Reduces CO2 emissions.
“Without the project, the whole population of the town Onega would be without heat.” Vadim Rykusov. Find out how we are using bio-energy to transform the Russian town of Onega.
Wind energy
Wind is a clean and entirely renewable source of energy.
Deriving energy from the wind is not new, and it has been used to power activities like milling flour for thousands of years. However, it was only in the 20th century that the wind began to be harnessed to generate electricity.
Harnessing wind power
The ideal velocity of wind for most modern turbines is 15 metres per second (m/s). Most start generating at 3-4 m/s, and are shut down in very strong winds of 25 m/s or higher, to prevent damage to the turbine.
Turbine designs
Wind turbines come in a number of different designs, with the most popular being the three bladed 'horizontal drive', like the one shown above. Sizes range from a blade diameter of 15m (50 Kw) to 124m (5000 Kw). The ideal size and design depend on where a turbine is located.
Building new wind turbines helps to reduce the amount of electricity that would have been generated by conventional fossil fuels such as coal or gas. This reduction also reduces CO2 emissions, allowing wind energy projects to be a source of carbon offsets, whilst promoting this important renewable energy source.
Our wind energy projects
While wind generated energy is the fastest growing energy sector in the world, the turbines are still relatively expensive to build and often cannot compete with fossil fuel based electricity generation. Revenue from CO2 reductions can make wind energy projects viable that would not otherwise have happened.
Developing wind energy is a commercial investment, in order to sell electricity. The ability in the developing world to sell the CO2 emissions reductions from the electricity adds another stream of value that can make the investment more secure for the developer (as well as for the banks lending money), in addition to helping overcome uncertainties in other factors such as the market price for electricity.
“I’m very proud to be living near the first wind farm in Turkey, they are like white lilies powering my town.” Murat Seren. Read more about our wind farm projects.
Efficient cooking stoves
In many developing countries the main source of fuel is wood, which is used for cooking on an open fire.
This fills the kitchen with smoke and creates severe health problems, particularly for mothers and children. UN studies show that smoky stoves kill millions and cause debilitating illness for tens of millions more. Much of the heat is lost rather than going into the cooking pot and this inefficiency means much more fuel-wood is needed. Wood is a scarce resource in many parts of the world and is often unsustainably harvested, leading to deforestation.
A well-designed, efficient stove, made from local materials at minimal cost, can prevent ill health and protect forests.
VIDEO: No Smoking, 2 mins
(Plays on Windows Media Player. More details)
 |
 |
How it works
The 'rocket elbow' stove design reduces wood consumption by over 50%. It’s a truly efficient stove works in two ways: Firstly, it encloses the cooking pot so that all the hot gases from the fire 'scrape' the side of the cooking pot or hotplate, utilising as much of the heat as possible. Warming areas for other pots can also be used as the smoke passes towards the chimney. The combustion efficiency is further improved by ensuring that secondary combustion of the hot gases takes place. This also reduces the non-CO2 greenhouse gases that can be emitted when using an inefficient cooking appliance.
Stove technologies benefit in many ways
 |
|
Our efficient stove projects
Most of ClimateCare's efficient stove projects use versions based around the 'rocket elbow' designed by the Approvecho Research Institute in Oregon. Our focus is on areas where fuel wood supply is proven to be non-renewable.
Money from carbon offsets provides a new source of funding for improved stoves. The barriers have been knowledge and (in many cases) cost, either of the equipment or of running the scheme.
Read more about our efficient stoves in rural Mexico.
 |
“My daughters now like to help me with the cooking, because the Patsari stove does not make smoke.” |
Efficient lighting
The carbon impact of electricity depends on two things: how it is generated and how much is used.
If a country generates most of its electricity using dirty fossil fuels, such as coal, it will have a high amount of CO2 per unit of electricity. If it uses mostly renewable sources, such as wind and hydro, it will have a low amount. This can be referred to as the electricity's 'carbon intensity'. For example:
|
Country |
Type of generation |
Kg CO2/kWh |
||
|
UK |
Mixture |
0.53 |
 |
|
|
|
Kazakhstan |
Inefficient coal power stations |
1.20 |
|
An efficient lightbulb reduces electricity use wherever it is installed. However, in a country with high CO2 per unit, the reduced electricity demand leads to a greater reduction in CO2 emissions.
How they save energy
A traditional lightbulb works by super-heating a tungsten filament and the majority of energy is wasted as heat, rather than given off as light. Running a traditional 100W bulb in the UK for approximately 60 hours creates as much CO2 is as burning a litre of petrol.
Fluorescent strip lighting is more efficient as the electrical charge is used to excite a gas in a tube, which maximises light output with minimum heat loss; more of the energy is converted into useful light, rather than wasted as heat. For the technically minded that’s 70 'lumens' of light for every watt capacity, where traditional tungsten lightbulbs only give out 15 lumens.
The tubes can be wound into a small shape, hence the name 'compact fluorescent lamp' or CFL, and used to replace traditional 60 or 100W bulbs.
Benefits of CFLs
Installing an efficient lightbulb in comparison to a traditional one;
- Uses 80% less electricity on average.
- Incurs lower running costs.
- Lasts up to ten times as long.
- Reduces CO2 from electricity use.
Our efficient lighting projects
While the running costs of CFLs are much lower, they cost much more to buy. This initial cost often discourages people from purchasing them, despite the fact that they would save money in the long run. In many cases there is simply a lack of knowledge about the technology as well.
Lighting projects can work to encourage the replacement of traditional, inefficient bulbs with CFLs through funding and education initiatives around the world.
Community Lighting in South Africa
In South Africa, 95% of electricity is generated from coal in power stations, with the result that CO2 emissions per unit of electricity are some of the highest in the world. The majority of people use traditional incandescent lights in their houses, which are cheaper but use far more electricity than modern efficient ones. People do not know about efficient lamps and if they do, cannot afford them.
 |
 |
|
Ladysmith Enviro Club receiving their Volvo Award |
A community group with homemade 'save energy' posters |
ClimateCare worked with a number of partners such as municipalities, housing developers and local environmental groups across South Africa to install energy efficient lighting in low income households. Approximately 50,000 of these bulbs were installed in 2005.
 |
"From small beginnings... a project which explores electricity efficiency... has grown into a national environmental education initiative." |
Social and environmental benefits
By using less electricity, compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) save these lower income families money on their bills as well as reducing CO2 emissions and raising awareness of available energy efficiency measures.
1 efficient lamp = 0.1 tonnes CO2 saved per year
Progress and Monitoring
The CFLs were certified by the International Finance Corporation's Efficient Lighting Initiative, whilst their expected savings were calculated by the consultancy arm of Eskom, the South African electricity company. A Cape Town energy consultancy was contracted to monitor installation and performance.
The Ashden Awards
ClimateCare is a partner of the Ashden Awards, given for outstanding, inspirational and innovative local sustainable energy schemes that both protect the environment, tackle climate change and make real improvements to people's quality of life. Read more about a 2007 Award-winning lighting project on our Ashden Awards page.
